Eric Portman
Eric Portman (13 July 1901, Akroydon, Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire - 7 December 1969, St Veep, Cornwall) was a distinguished English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the... Read full bio →
Featured Characters
Roles you can spot in Whatthemovie snapshots
Deadfall
Cat burglar Henry Clarke and his accomplices the Moreaus attempt to steal diamonds from the chateau of millionaire Salinas.
The Whisperers
The Whisperers tells the story of an impoverished old woman living alone in a seedy apartment who enjoys a rich fantasy life as an heiress. When she discovers stolen money hidden by her son, she believes her fantasy has come true.
The Bedford Incident
During a routine patrol, a reporter is given permission to interview a hardened cold-war warrior and captain of the American destroyer USS Bedford. The reporter gets more than he bargained for when the Bedford discovers a Soviet sub and the captain begins a relentless pursuit, pushing his crew to breaking point.
West 11
In Notting Hill's jazz club, coffee bar and bedsit land of the early 1960s, Joe Beckett is a young unemployed misfit and drifter whose life takes a turn for the worse when he encounters Richard Dyce, an ex-army officer.
The Man Who Finally Died
A mysterious call summons Joe Newman to Bavaria in search of the father he believed dead for 20 years.
Freud
An examination of Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud's career when he began to treat patients diagnosed with hysteria, using the radical technique of hypnosis.
The Naked Edge
Michael Anderson's 1961 suspense thriller stars Deborah Kerr as a London wife who suspects her wealthy husband (Gary Cooper) might be a murderer. The cast also includes Eric Portman, Diane Cilento, Hermione Gingold and Michael Wilding. This was Gary Cooper's last film.
The Good Companions
A touring variety troupe, the "Dinky Doos" are in financial trouble. An encounter with three strangers - Inigo Jollifant (a romantic, song-writing ex-schoolmaster), Miss Trant (a philanthropic spinster in search of adventure), and Jess Oakroyd (a down-to-earth, practical man recently made redundant from his job) leads to a change of fortune.
The Colditz Story
Allied prisoners - British, Dutch, French and Polish - pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from the "escape-proof" German P.O.W. camp housed in a Medieval castle known as "Colditz".
South of Algiers
A British Museum archaeologist is searching for an ancient golden mask buried in a Roman tomb in Algeria but tomb robbers follow the academic in the hope of stealing the precious relic.
His Excellency
The post-war Labour government appoints an ex-docker as Governor of a Mediterranean colony.
The Magic Box
Now old, ill, poor, and largely forgotten, William Freise-Greene was once young and handsome William Green. He changed his name to include his first wife's for the photographic portrait work he excelled at.
Cairo Road
An Egyptian drug unit investigates a wealthy Arab's murder, finding hashish on a ship. After one suspect kills another and flees, Colonel Yussef Bey plans to catch the drug trafficking brothers.
Daybreak
A mysterious barber hides a secret identity that eventually leads to tragedy.
Corridor of Mirrors
A man falls in love with a beautiful young woman and begins to suspect that he may have also loved her in a previous life.
The Mark of Cain
An attractive young French girl instigates rivalry between two brothers when she becomes the bride of the younger one. As the situation festers it leads to murder…
Dear Murderer
When a man discovers his wife is having an affair, he commits the perfect crime.
Wanted for Murder
The son of a notorious hangman is gradually becoming insane and he finds himself unable to resist the urge to strangle women to death.
A Canterbury Tale
Three modern-day pilgrims investigate a bizarre crime in a small town while on their way to Canterbury.
We Dive at Dawn
A gripping tale of WWII naval warfare in the Baltics, starring John Mills as Lt. Freddie Taylor, a British submarine Captain. The crew of the Sea Tiger are summoned from leave on shore with their families, and sent on a secret mission to intercept the Nazi battleship Brandenburg.
Millions Like Us
When Celia Crowson is called up for war service, she hopes for a glamorous job in one of the services, but as a single girl, she is directed into a factory making aircraft parts. Here she meets other girls from all different walks of life and begins a relationship with a young airman.
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
On its way back from a raid on the city of Stuttgart, Germany, a British bomber is shot down over Nazi-held Holland. Parachuting into Dutch farmlands under cover of darkness, the six-member crew connects with members of the local resistance, who shelter the Brits from their Nazi inquisitors as they make their way towards freedom.
49th Parallel
In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral.
The Crimes of Stephen Hawke
A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.
The Cardinal
Cardinal's brother Giuliano wrongfully accused of murder in 1510 Rome. Cardinal can't divulge confession details that could exonerate him, torn between faith and family, church doctrine and conscience crisis.
Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn
In 1820s rural England, a young girl is tricked by a villainous Squire's promises of marriage, and when she becomes pregnant and disappears, a gypsy lad is blamed.
Abdul the Damned
In 1908, Sultan Abdul Hamid faces resistance from the Young Turk party, while also becoming infatuated with a visiting Austrian singer.